Lucky for Her

by Stephanie Taylor

  The doorknob banged against the wall when she threw it open and she didn’t try to stop it. Anger was like a balm to her heart, and it was protected with impenetrable walls.

  Lana stood on display as Lucky’s eyes grazed over her, lingering on her swollen eyes. Embarrassed, Lana shifted her weight, but refused to look away. For a moment, she thought he was going to forget everything and run to her. His eyes held a softness she’d never seen before. Love shone bright. It was then she knew she had something to fight for.

  “You’re a chicken, Jackson O’Donnell. Where’s your male pride?”

  Lucky frowned, but only grabbed his jacket and looked longingly at the door.

  “Admit it.”

  “Admit what, Lana?”

  “That you still love me.”

  “I never said I didn’t.” He shrugged carelessly, but still made no effort to move forward.

  She took two steps toward him, entering his personal space. She saw the telltale widening of his eyes and the dilation of his pupils. Hope soared once more.

  “So what are you afraid of? There’s no prom to ask me to. We’ve already made love. You’re not fat anymore. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I suspect you feel like you’ve failed me somehow, that you’re still not good enough.”

  Lucky’s eyes immediately lowered and he swallowed convulsively. She knew then she’d hit the proverbial nail on the head.

  “Lucky,” she said softly.

  “It’s…It’s not as easy as asking you to the prom anymore. It’s asking you to trust me to protect you. I didn’t do that, Lana. I love you and Lily more than anything in this world, but James still had the upper hand last night.”

  “Not from my vantage point. I saw the fear in his eyes and how he went for the jugular because he knew you cared about me. I was the only thing he knew would get to you.”

  Lucky tossed her another shrug.

  Lana pressed on. “Do you realize that if you let me go now, he wins? I thought you wanted revenge against him. I thought you wanted to have it all. Leaving me now gives him everything he set out to do. And I don’t believe for a second you want this to be over.”

  Lucky still said nothing.

  Frustrated, Lana continued.

  “But the best part is, Lucky…you are good enough. The entire town here trusts you to protect them. And I love the man inside you, which is more than you thought you would get in the beginning, right? You thought if you just married me, James lost because I was yours. But you never thought I would fall in love with you, did you?”

  An almost imperceptible shake of Lucky’s head confirmed her suspicions.

  “I love you, Lucky. Don’t do this. I love you and Lily loves you. We can be happy if you’ll just believe we can.”

  Finally, at long last, Lucky’s hands ran up her arms and encircled her shoulders. He hauled her against him and planted soft kisses in her hair.

  “I love you, too, Lana. I’m so sorry.”

  His trembling voice gave her the determination to keep going.

  “What are you sorry for?”

  “The fact that I failed to protect you from him again. That he hurt you and he could have hurt Lily.”

  Framing his face with her hands, Lana smiled. “But he didn’t. I’m right here, and Lily’s sleeping in the car while Ally watches her. We won’t go anywhere unless you really want me to. If you do, I’ll get my things and you’ll never see us again. It’s your call.”

  A strained expression came over his features. “You know I don’t want you to leave. I’m just trying to do what’s best for you and Lily.”

  “I think the best thing for me right now is for my husband to admit that he’s wrong.”

  Lucky frowned. “About what?”

  “What’s really best for me is knowing we love each other, and no matter what, we’ll get through this.”

  “But what if I’m not here again next time?”

  “We’ll get an alarm system.”

  “What if he gets past it?”

  “I’ll shoot him.”

  “What if he doesn’t die?”

  Lana laughed. “I’ll shoot him again.”

  A smile slowly spread over Lucky’s handsome face. “I lied in the hospital, Lana. I never wanted a divorce.”

  “I know.”

  “But you’re right. I guess there’s a part of me that won’t ever feel good enough for you.”

  Lana blinked slowly. “It’s not your decision to make. I think you’re plenty good enough.”

  “And you’re right about another thing, too. I never believed you could love me.”

  Lana giggled in disbelief. “It’s impossible not to love you.”

  A smile lit his face.

  He really wasn’t called Lucky for nothing.

  About the Author

  STEPHANIE TAYLOR is a freelance editor, author and business owner. She spends her time making other authors’ dreams come true at Astraea Press as Editor in Chief and Owner. Stephanie opened Astraea Press because of the lack of non-erotic book publishers and has finally found a home for her books.

  Stephanie has a doctorate in multi-tasking and can actually walk a tight rope while balancing a dinner plate on her head and typing her next novel with the other. She lives in Alabama with her three children and her wonderful husband of ten years.

  Also by Stephanie Taylor

  Sophie lives her life as a hospice nurse running from her past and over-compensating for her sins. She wants nothing more than to help others the way someone once helped her. But she never expected to get so attached to one of her patients.

  Nicholas is suddenly looking for more meaning in his life than money, fast women and flashing lights. Life as a rocker has left him empty. Only Emily filled the gaping hole in his heart and with her death, his soul is broken into pieces.

  When two lives collide, Sophie and Nicholas know they'll never be the same. Together, they try to figure out a message Emily has left behind. Can they succeed before the realities of life tear them apart?

  Excerpt:

  He stood about four feet tall with green olives for eyes, an orange Sharpie for a nose and buttons curved into a smile. Nicholas let the snowman borrow an extra scarf, and when we were done, we stood back and surveyed our handiwork.

  “I think he looks like you." I stepped forward, smoothed the scarf, and giggled.

  Nicholas pretended to look insulted and pointed at the snowman's smile. “My teeth are not black, thank you very much.”

  I conceded with a nod. “And you're eyes certainly aren't red.”

  “Nope,” he shook his head, pressed his lips together, and folded his arms across his chest.

  I smiled. I felt like I had a new lease on life that morning. I'd slept well, and not only that, Nicholas had made me feel beautiful last night. Nothing progressed past a few kisses, but it was enough. It was certainly more than I was ever given in the past. His show of respect in the way he touched me gave me an unexpected warmth throughout my body.

  His eyes grew tender. “I wish Emily was here to do this with us. She would have loved to build a snowman.”

  Anger rushed through me like boiling water, white-hot and unexpected. I hadn't realized until that point how much resentment I harbored toward him. Without fully considering what I was doing, I took a step forward and slapped him hard across the cheek. He reeled back, the shock evident on his face by his raised eyebrows and parted lips.

  “What the-”

  “How dare you want her back just so you can leave her again!” The warning in his widened legs and his step forward gave me the shot of adrenaline I needed. For once, the feeling empowered me.

  “What are you talking about?” A vein throbbed in his temple as he shouted at me.

  I braced myself, refusing to give in to the intimidation. “You were hardly ever around, Nicholas! And she worshiped you! She wanted to live with you! Jessica was always too drunk or too stoned to spend any time with her. She didn't understand why the second she
got sick, her mother abandoned her. And you did the same thing!”

  Nicholas chest puffed as he inhaled. “Don't you dare pretend you know anything about my relationship with her.”

  My eyes rounded and then narrowed. “She told me everything. Every time you visited, every time you called. And it was pathetic, Nicholas. It really was. You were a pathetic excuse for a father.” I took another step forward so that we were nose to nose.

  His fists balled and if I had been in a calmer state, I might have the good sense to be afraid of a man like him.

  “I loved Emily.” His gritted teeth and flashing eyes angered me enough that I shoved at his chest. He stumbled a few steps but didn’t fall.

  “If you loved her so much why didn't you stop being selfish and be with her? She was dying and she asked for you! She wanted you there! And you didn't even have the decency to come to the funeral!” I shoved again as hard as I could.

  He fell like an oak tree, solid and sturdy but also broken. He was waist deep in snow, but that didn’t stop him from firing back. “I did everything I could. I flew here every free second I had!”

  “Why didn't you make more free seconds?” I towered over him, single-minded and desperate for him to suffer as much as Emily had suffered. My legs trembled so hard my knees threatened to buckle. I couldn't take my eyes off his face for fear I would lose my nerve to get this off my chest.

  “It was all I had!” he shouted back, waving his arms wildly from his position on the ground. “When you're in a career like mine you can't just walk away! There's contracts and obligations that are scheduled months in advance!” He hit the snow hard enough that it went flying against my leg and beyond.

  I crossed my arms and glared. “Is that what helps you sleep at night? She was sick for three years. You couldn't get out of a stupid concert long enough to spend some time with her when she was dying? Or show your respect at her funeral? Other performers reschedule these things all the time!”

  Suddenly, he stood, once again nose-to-nose with me, his mouth drawn and his teeth gritted. “I did what I could. You wouldn't have been there in the first place if it wasn't for me. Do you really think Jessica could afford an around the clock nursing staff? It was the best I could do, and I did it the second I found out about her.” He turned away from me, running his hands through his hair and pacing in circles in the snow.

  “What do you mean the second you found out about her?” But I realized what he was saying the second the words left my mouth. The air whooshed from lungs. “Jessica didn't tell you about her, did she?”

  He took a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes, obviously struggling for control. “No, she didn't.”

  “And the funeral?”

  He shook his head slowly, sadness replacing the fire that had been there only moments before. “She called me after it was over. Said she didn't want the media attention.”

  Nicholas's tearful eyes looked around for the first time since our argument and my gaze followed his. We realized we had attracted quite an audience during our argument. “We'll finish this inside,” he muttered and grabbed my arm, hauling me inside my apartment.

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